SC250 provides research funding for online travel guide
October 14, 2026
The $60,000 grant helps pay for Phase I of CadenceSC.org, the rhythm and legacy of Black South Carolinians of the Revolutionary War
The WeGOJA Foundation has received a $60,000 grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250) to conduct research on Black South Carolinians who participated in or influenced the Revolutionary War, and to help form the basis of a proposed online database and heritage travel guide. Called CadenceSC.org, the guide will promote under-told stories of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina and motivate people to visit key sites.
“We are delighted that the Commissioners decided to support the first phase of CadenceSC, and have confidence in us to provide a significant return on this investment,” said Dr. Larry Watson, Chairman of the WeGOJA Foundation. “Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness of the Black involvement in the Revolutionary War and add a new element to the heritage tourism experience in South Carolina.”
African Americans were involved in the Revolution on both sides, and their participation, skills and labor, and freedom were hotly debated by white Loyalists and Patriots alike. The research in Phase I of the project will not only identify people involved in the war but the plantations where many were enslaved, the battlefields where they fought, the cemeteries where they are laid to rest, and the marketplaces, historic homes, coastal properties, and churches associated with their lives. If additional phases are funded, public interpretation and narratives about this data will form the content for the online travel guide. GPS directions to each site also will be included and a strategic marketing plan will be implemented. The research should be completed by February 2027. The online travel guide is scheduled to be completed and promoted beginning in the spring of 2027 if additional funding is available.
For more information, contact Dawn Dawson-House, Executive Director of the WeGOJA Foundation, at [email protected] or [email protected].
ABOUT THE SC250 COMMISSION
The South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250) was established by the General Assembly to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in South Carolina. Through education, preservation, tourism, and community partnerships, SC250 is helping tell the story of the people, places, and events that shaped our state’s role in securing American independence.
ABOUT THE WeGOJA FOUNDATION
The WeGOJA Foundation works to document, promote, and advocate for African American heritage sites in South Carolina. Helping communities acquire state historical markers, listings on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as producing the Green Book of South Carolina and the new SC Preservation Toolkit, WeGOJA collaborates with civic, government and business leaders to advocate for history. Discover more here.
